Norman Francis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Norman Francis
Francis receives Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2006, from George W. Bush
Born	Norman Christopher Francis (1931-03-20) March 20, 1931 (age 94) Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S.
Education	Xavier University of Louisiana (BS) Loyola University New Orleans (JD)
Occupation	Lawyer
Employer	Xavier University of Louisiana
Known for	First Black student at Loyola University New Orleans; first lay president of Xavier.
Board member of	UNCF, ETS
Awards	Presidential Medal of Freedom

Norman Christopher Francis, born on March 20, 1931, is an important American educator. He was the president of Xavier University of Louisiana for many years, from 1968 to 2015. He made history as the first Black and first non-priest (lay) president of Xavier. He was also only the second African American to lead a Catholic university in the United States.

Mr. Francis also led the Louisiana Recovery Authority. This was a state group in charge of planning how to rebuild Louisiana after the damage from Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. Because of his many contributions, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2006. He also received the Laetare Medal from the University of Notre Dame in 2019. He has been given 35 special degrees from colleges and universities across the country.

Biography

Early Life and Education

Norman Francis grew up in Lafayette, Louisiana. His parents were not wealthy and had not finished high school. His father worked as a barber and rode his bicycle to work every day. Norman helped his family by shining shoes on the main street of Lafayette.

His parents believed that education was very important for Norman and his three sisters and brother. They made sure their children went to Catholic schools and rarely missed a day. Norman once said he had to be truly sick with a fever to even think about missing school. His parents also made sure they attended church regularly.

Norman's brother, Joseph Abel Francis, later became a bishop in the Catholic Church.

After finishing St. Paul High School in 1948, Norman was interested in joining the military. However, a teacher helped him get a scholarship to Xavier University in New Orleans. This scholarship required him to work in the university library, where he repaired damaged books. By his final year, he was the night supervisor of library services.

Norman was an excellent student. He was president of his class for all four years and became the student body president in his senior year. He earned his bachelor's degree from Xavier in 1952. After that, he became the first African-American student to attend Loyola University New Orleans Law School. He earned his law degree in 1955.

He later shared that he was accepted to Loyola partly because he knew some of the Jesuit priests there. After graduating with honors, he started practicing law. But he soon realized that law wasn't what he wanted to do. He felt that while he could earn a lot of money as a lawyer, he could only help a few people. He believed that the future belonged to educated people, so he decided to work in education instead.

Career Highlights

From 1956 to 1957, Norman Francis served in the United States Army. After his military service, he returned to the U.S. Attorney's Office. He helped to make sure federal agencies were fair to everyone, no matter their race.

Around this time, he also helped a Xavier student who was arrested for trying to eat at a lunch counter that only served white people. These experiences made him choose a career in education over law.

In 1961, during the time leading up to the Civil Rights Movement, he returned to Xavier University. He was the dean of men then. He played a very important role when Xavier decided to let the Freedom Riders stay in a campus dorm. The Freedom Riders were a group of people, both Black and white, who traveled together to test if bus and train travel was fair for everyone. They were attacked in Alabama and flown to New Orleans by federal officers.

Because of his strong academic record, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, who ran Xavier University, offered him the job of dean of men. He accepted and began to move up in leadership roles at the university. He became director of student services in 1963, assistant to the president in 1964, and executive vice president in 1967.

In 1968, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament made him president of the university. He was the first non-priest, male, and Black person to lead Xavier. It was a remarkable coincidence that he accepted the presidency on April 4, the same day that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

For the next 47 years, Mr. Francis led Xavier University through a period of great growth. The number of students more than tripled, the types of courses offered expanded, and the campus grew larger. He oversaw a major expansion of campus buildings and a 35 percent increase in student enrollment.

On September 2, 2014, Mr. Francis announced that he would retire from Xavier in June 2015. He had served the university as president for 47 years.

Honors and Awards

Norman Francis has held many important leadership positions. He was chairman of the board for the Educational Testing Service, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and the Southern Education Foundation. He also served as president of the American Association of Higher Education and the United Negro College Fund.

He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has received 35 honorary degrees from different universities. He was also named one of the 100 most effective college presidents in a survey by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

In December 2006, Mr. Francis was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is one of the highest awards a civilian can receive in the United States.

On November 21, 2008, a special event called "Legacy for a Legend" was held in New Orleans. It celebrated his 40th year as President of Xavier University. The event was hosted by Bill Cosby and featured a performance by the singer Gladys Knight.

On May 19, 2019, Mr. Francis received the University of Notre Dame's 2019 Laetare Medal. This award is given to an American Catholic who has made a great contribution to society.

After the George Floyd protests in 2020, the city of New Orleans decided to rename a street in his honor. A road previously named for Jefferson Davis, who was president of the Confederacy, was renamed Norman C. Francis Parkway. This change happened on January 1, 2021. The road runs right by the southern end of Xavier University.

Selected Community Honors & Awards

• Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great - a special honor from Pope John Paul II in 2000.
• Whitney M. Young, Jr. Award - from the Boy Scouts of America in 1998.
• St. Martin de Porres Social Justice Award - from the Southern Dominican Friars Province in 1998.
• Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame, 1998 Laureate.
• Pioneer in Education Award (1994) - from the Institute for Independent Education.
• The Times Picayune Loving Cup of 1991 - given to New Orleans citizens who help the community without seeking fame.
• Adjutor Hominum Award - from Loyola University New Orleans in 1991.
• Benjamin Smith Award - from the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Louisiana in 1990.
• Hornblower of the Year - from the Public Relations Society of America in 1990.
• National Alumni Council of UNCF's Distinguished Service Award - 1989.
• Weiss Brotherhood Award - from the National Association of Christians and Jews in 1988.
• Friends of Public Education Award - from the United Teachers of New Orleans in 1987.
• 10th Annual Integritas Vitae Award - from Loyola University New Orleans in 1986.
• Jefferson Parish School Board Award - 1986.
• Whitney M. Young Jr. Award - from the National Urban League of Greater New Orleans in 1982.
• Monte M. Lemann Award - from the Louisiana Civil Service League in 1974.
• Torch of Liberty Award - from the Anti-Defamation League in 1971.

Honorary Degrees

Mr. Francis has received many honorary degrees, which are special degrees given to people who have achieved great things. Some of these include:

• Villanova University (1969)
• College of the Holy Cross (1969)
• Seton Hall University (1969)
• Marquette University (1977)
• Tulane University (1980)
• Loyola University (1982)
• University of Pennsylvania (1983)
• University of Notre Dame (1988)
• Johns Hopkins University (1988)
• Rutgers University (1993)
• Xavier University (Ohio) (1998)

Personal Life

Norman Francis was married to Blanche from 1955 until she passed away in 2015. They had six children together.

He became a Knight of Malta in 1991. He is also a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

Affiliations

Mr. Francis has been involved with many important organizations. He was president of the United Negro College Fund. He also chaired the board of directors for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Educational Testing System. He was a member of the National Commission on Excellence in Education and other national advisory councils focused on health and education.

He has also served on the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. He was on the advisory board for the Josephites. He was also part of the executive committee for the college and university department of the National Catholic Educational Association. He served on the Board of Trustees for the Catholic University of America and the Board of Regents for Loyola University. Additionally, he was on the board of directors for the National Catholic Council for Interracial Justice.